responses courtesy of Jason Hallett, Vice President of Product Management, Topcon Positioning Group
Challenges & Opportunities
What new challenges have arisen that effect the way you design or manufacture your product? How you do business? How you go to market? How you differentiate yourself from the competition?
Now more than ever, industry professionals are challenged to cut costs and produce results more quickly. Topcon meets those demands at a conceptual crossroads we call “The Intersection of Infrastructure and Technology” where construction, surveying and engineering professionals find advantages and know-how to be at the forefront of technological innovation — to increase productivity and profitability — for growing infrastructure needs. Topcon invites infrastructure professionals to meet us at this unique point — this “intersection” — where infrastructure opportunities and technology come together to meet the demands of today and tomorrow.
With increasing population density compounded by urban growth and modernization in developing regions, the need for new infrastructure grows exponentially. The monetary gap to pay for expected necessities can be addressed by increases in productivity and reduction of waste in global construction practices. Integrating smart technology into construction is the only reliable way to meet the productivity demands.
For decades, Topcon has built its position to address these needs. We have the technology that customers can seamlessly integrate into their workflow to experience immediate results and the vision to innovate the solutions for the future.
Has the rate of technological advancement (for example, the rapid emergence of data products) had any impact on business decisions, development, or product performance and client expectations?
Yes, we have definitely seen advances in data gathering that has changed the paradigm. Growing data volumes from a variety of technologies offer advantages that enable comprehensive monitoring of conditions, operations and environments. With that comes challenges for data processing and analysis. The new MAGNET Collage system offers a single environment solution for processing and publishing mass data from laser scanners, mobile mapping devices, modern paving scanners, and traditional surveying instruments. The result is a system that offers speeds of up to eight times faster data processing than previously available solutions, and a more manageable workflow.
What is your company’s opportunity to impact the marketplace with a unique product, capability or offering?
SmoothRide is a new workflow offering the most efficient solution for the complete cycle on paving and milling jobs.
It is a revolutionary combination of core Topcon technologies that offer the most advanced paving and milling solutions available — starting with patented sonic tracking technology, the world’s first non-contacting sonic averaging system, and vehicle-mounted scanners that collect data at driving speeds without the need for lane closures.
In most cases, it is inconvenient or impossible to shut down a road and map its surface using traditional survey methods. Now with SmoothRide, it is possible to eliminate the need for lane closures and map road conditions.
On top of that, using the SmoothRide solution, the contractor has absolute control over the amount material used at each location. In effect, it offers the ability to use the same amount of material with a smoother result for paving jobs and makes it possible to modify truck planning based on that info.
The result is a much smoother road than with traditional paving concepts and is a breeze compared to conventional methods. It all adds up to faster completion times.
